Podcast Episodes
Back to Search'Ant' or 'Ahnt'? Capitalizing Cocktail Names. Archie Bunker.
Episode 881
881. What's up with the fancy-schmancy "ahnt" pronunciation of the word "aunt"? And why are the rules about capitalizing cocktail names so wonky? We…
3 years, 8 months ago
The Many Meanings of 'Father.' How Watergate Changed English. Punim
Episode 880
880. "Father" as a word shows how we humans love to extend our metaphors. Did you know it was only relatively recently that priests were referred to…
3 years, 9 months ago
Demonyms: Why People from North Carolina Are Called Tar Heels. 'Healthy' Versus 'Healthful.' Sussies 3!
Episode 879
879. Are people from Liverpool really called "Liverpudlians"? Where does the name "Tar Heel" come from? We have the answers to some of the most inter…
3 years, 9 months ago
Are Wisdom Teeth Smart? Capitalizing Degree Names. Sussies 2
Episode 878
878. This week, we look at what makes wisdom teeth so smart, how to properly write the name of your degree, and what's up with the "sussies" familect…
3 years, 9 months ago
Whatever Happened to "Thou"?
Episode 877
877. In an age when eels were sometimes used as currency and castles pierced the sky, “thou” was all the rage. But over time, it disappeared from use…
3 years, 9 months ago
How Spellers Tackle the 'Dreaded Schwa'
Episode 876
876. You'll never view spellers in the bee asking questions the same way again after you learn about the schwa from Brian Sietsema, an associate pron…
3 years, 10 months ago
Why "'Em" Isn't Short for "Them." The Subjunctive. Sussies.
Episode 875
875. When you say "Go get 'em!" you think that's short for "Go get them," but you're wrong! We look at the fascinating history of some English pronou…
3 years, 10 months ago
Tomi Adeyemi: The Writing Life and Her New Writing Course.
Episode 874
874. With her book "Children of Blood and Bone" spending 120 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, Tomi Adeyemi knows what it takes to write a…
3 years, 10 months ago
Scissors, Jeans, and Other Nouns That Are Always Plural. Flat Adverbs. Boteep.
Episode 873
873. Today, we'll talk about some weird nouns that are always plural, and then we'll go two-dimensional and talk about flat adverbs.
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3 years, 10 months ago
If Earth Looks Like a Blue Marble, Why Is Earth Day Associated with the Color Green? Also, 'Funnest.'
Episode 872
872. The famous NASA "blue marble" image could have influenced people to make blue the color of environmentalism and Earth Day, but green won the day…
3 years, 10 months ago